On Vista, use Vista style file dialogs

[Will Pittenger]

The attached screen capture shows what Vista's new file dialogs look like. Compared to the older XP and classic style dialogs, these are a big improvement. Some users might not like the ribbon, but it adds all of the functionality 0.47 lost by using the native Windows dialogs over the GTK dialogs. (This instance was opened by Firefox 3.5.3.)

I don't know anything about how to call the new dialog instead of the old one, but it might be nothing more than a flag in the struct you pass the API.

[Pablo Trabajos (pajarico)]

This has been already solved. I don't remember the bug or mail that detailed this change, suv might now it. It will be in the next release. Recent pre-releases has this already.

[su_v (suv-lp)]

I don't use Windows myself, but from the comments in Bug #292232 I gather that on Vista, the new file dialog is used but only in the 'Export Bitmap…' dialog, not for the 'Open…/Save as…' dialogs. The patch was committed in rev. 21972 and the new export dialog should be available in the new builds based on the just uploaded 0.47pre3 release.

I can search though for more information about the other file dialogs used, if needed.

[su_v (suv-lp)]

Reading <http://article.gmane.org/gmane.comp.graphics.inkscape.devel/24899> I would conclude that the request to enable Vista-style file dialogs isn't implemented and that - though the article is from Feb 2008 when the win32 native dialogs were merged into the trunk - it still describes the current state. In the commit log messages for the native file dialog I could not find any reference to a major update that would allow for Vista-style dialogs:<http://inkscape.svn.sourceforge.net/viewvc/inkscape/inkscape/trunk/src/ui/dialog/filedialogimpl-win32.cpp?view=log>

Proposing to re-open and change importance to 'Wishlist' unless it can be confirmed by a Vista user as implemented in the recent prerelease builds.

[Pablo Trabajos (pajarico)]

Thanks for the information, ~suv ;)

[Will Pittenger (will-pittenger1)]

suv, does anyone know what is involved? Is it a flag change or something more serious like making a .NET call?

[su_v (suv-lp)]

> Is it a flag change or …
Quoting from the article I linked to in comment #4:
"So to recap: If you want Vista style dialogs with the mandatory preview
pane, we either have to modularise inkscape (which sounds very hard), or
add RSVG and a *second* version Croco-unmodified, which would bloat the
whole package by about 750kb."
doesn't sound like it's done with a flag change to me…

> …something more serious like making a .NET call?
Sorry, I don't know - I'm not a developer and my own windows experience is dated (NT 4.0 ;-)

> does anyone know what is involved?
You could ping theAdib who fixed the 'Export Bitmap…' dialog (bug #292232) or the author of the win32 open/save dialogs on the inkscape-devel mailing list. OTOH - isn't Windows 7 just around the corner - with maybe yet another enhanced native dialog or API? Why adapting to Vista technology which - from what I have heard - isn't considered one of MS's masterpieces?

[Will Pittenger (will-pittenger1)]

Personally, Vista isn't as bad as some make it out to be. As for the open dialog, I consider it a big improvement over the older dialog even in Vista. In XP, there was a PowerToy called Tweak UI that allowed you to change the five shortcuts shown to other locations. However, you still couldn't add more. Vista lets you do that.

I should note that the Vista dialog has one disadvantage that I can find: It is hungry for screen real estate. This gets worse if you pick the Extra Large preview. At that size, each icon gobbles up 300px plus borders and text. (The old one has that too in Vista, but it doesn't have as much outside the list.)

[Nathan Lee (nathan.lee)]

As vista has reached EOL, I think we have to close as won't fix at this point (unless it is indeed fixed).

I'm marking as Invalid as that's all I can do, but am not migrating over to GitLab (https://alpha.inkscape.org/bug-migration/) as part of the bug migration.

[Will Pittenger (will-pittenger1)]

The style of dialog that debuted with Windows Vista still exist and are a step above what Inkscape now uses on Windows. So I consider the bug still valid--even if Vista is EOL.

[Nathan Lee (nathan.lee)]

Sorry, I didn't have notifications on (back on now). Would you consider this feature sufficiently tracked in https://gitlab.com/inkscape/inbox/-/issues/2742 (title: Use new native Open Dialog on Windows (instead of legacy one))?